One of three prison escapees from Arizona was captured Monday near Yellowstone National Park, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.
According to a release from the service, Tracy Province, 42, was arrested a bit east of Yellowstone just before 6:30 a.m. in Meeteetse, Wyoming, by U.S. Marshals and the Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Department after being observed walking through town.
At the time of the arrest, the escaped murderer was carrying a hitchhiking sign with
“Casper” written on it, according to the Service. He was also found in possession of a handgun, it added. After the arrest, Province stated he was relieved he was caught. This arrest was a direct result of a tip received placing him in that area.
On July 30, John Charles McCluskey, 45, Tracy Province, and Daniel Renwick, 35, escaped from the Arizona State Prison at Kingman. Casslyn Welch, 43, is believed to have assisted them in the escape, according to the Marshals Service.
On Aug. 1, Renwick was arrested in Rifle, Colorado, after a brief car chase and firing a weapon at a pursuing police vehicle, the release said.
Information was developed by law enforcement in New Mexico linking the escapees to the murders of an elderly couple at a campground in Santa Rosa, New Mexico, that occurred last week. The couple’s camper had been set on fire and was discovered in Santa Rosa while their truck was found abandoned approximately 120 miles away in Albuquerque. Police in New Mexico are investigating the murders.
McCluskey and Welch are still being sought by law enforcement, the Marshals Service said. It is believed they are no longer in the Yellowstone Park area but still in the state of Montana. McCluskey and Welch are considered armed and extremely dangerous, the marshals said.
Anyone with information on the fugitives are asked to call their local police or the ASP Kingman Escapees Task Force in Arizona at 602-542-1212. A $40,000 reward has been offered for information resulting in the capture of the escapees.
Province was being held in the Hot Springs County Jail in Thermopolis, Wyo., pending extradition to Arizona.
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